Ten Minutes Ago
by Angel of Neptune
Summary: It was just another day at the diner, until Belle entered and turned Ruby's life upside down.


**Title:** Ten Minutes Ago

**Author:** AoN

**Word Count: **1,300

**Genre: **Romance, Fluff

**Rating: **T

**Summary:** It was just another day at the diner, until Belle entered and turned Ruby's life upside down.

Notes: This was inspired by the song "Ten Minutes Ago" from Rodger & Hammerstein's Cinderella and by tumblr user witchpieceoftoast

With a forced, practiced smile that she had unknowingly perfected over the years as the diner's waitress, Ruby refilled Leroy's empty mug with coffee, an action that earned her Leroy's grumbled 'thanks' in response. In all honestly, it was really more than what Ruby had expected from him.

Not only for them, but for the entire town, in order to keep clam during a time of panic, they had to try to return to at least a small sense of normal. Normal, however, would only come if they all embraced both of their identities: their world's and Storybrooke's. For Ruby, that meant keeping Granny's diner open – up and running for the town's citizens, like Leroy, who wanted to enjoy a quick cup of coffee as he placed a future lunch order. Their attempt at normal was not going as well as they would have liked, not when they were both more preoccupied with the same thing: Mary Margaret and Emma.

"You know, wherever they are, Leroy, they're both safe," Ruby found herself reassuring for the both of them. For their own sakes, what else could they believe?

Leroy nodded sluggishly in response before taking a sip of his fresh cup of black coffee. Whether or not he actually agreed, Ruby wasn't sure. "Yeah, well, Mary Margaret knows how to take care of herself. We both know that," he grumbled. So maybe he did agree. "Check, Ruby," he added after another sip.

Ruby raised her eyebrows and placed her coffee pot free hand on her hip. "What?" she teased, mocking offense. "No please?'"

"Check," Leroy repeated, more smugly.

"Right away," Ruby replied, dropping the teasing, as she set the coffee pot down before heading to the cash register to ring out his order. "So, I guess I'll swing by the mines later this afternoon to deliver you guys lunch."

"We'll be waiting for you, Rubes, and your little basket," the nodding Leroy said as the tease became the teaser. He handed her folded bills from his wallet, which Ruby quickly snatched. "Keep the change," he added.

Before Ruby could respond, Leroy had already gotten out of his seat from the bar and turned his back to her, abandoning his still half full mug of coffee. How did the story of little red riding hood originate in this realm? And how did they get the details of the story so wrong? As Ruby placed the now unfolded bills covering the bill into the register and the tip into the jar, the jingling of the bell hanging above the door of the diner caught her attention as always. Just as she had expected, Leroy was making his way out.

But instead of leaving, Leroy was lingering in the doorway, grinning. Ruby tilted her head slightly as she frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion as she watched Leroy take a step outside. Even from her place behind the bar, Ruby could easily make out the conversation being had. Since the curse's break, Ruby's heightened senses had returned, causing her to worry about the upcoming full moon. Granny reassured that they would cross that bridge when the time came, a time that was quickly approaching.

Ruby had missed the stranger's name; she was not able to hear it over the sharp chiming of the bell, but the two were, well, seemed like old acquaintances – something about going on adventures, beasts, and prices. The voice was unfamiliar, but something about it had Ruby entranced.

After their goodbyes, Leroy took a step to the side, allowing the woman to enter the diner. As she stepped inside, Ruby faltered back, overcome by a strong scent of warm vanilla and lavender, mixed with old books, as though someone was flipping through pages of an exciting tale in far off places with daring sword fights. Head reeling, Ruby found it difficult to ground herself. If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn the floor had been pulled from underneath her.

As the door to the diner came to a slow close, the stranger looked up and met Ruby's eye. She smiled; Ruby did the same. Frozen and unable to move, Ruby lingered behind the bar as Ashley approached their new customer who was lead to a booth and presented with a menu. Heart pounding furiously in her chest, Ruby glanced down at the lunch ticket in her hand. All she had to do was turn and hand off the ticket to the kitchen before carrying on her way.

But Ruby couldn't.

Lowering her head, Ruby made her way out from behind the bar and into the back room, stopping in the kitchen along the way, ignoring the cook's slightly confused expression. Why did she come back here, he would have asked, if Ruby would have given him the chance, but she quickly retreated to the backroom where the tumbling of the laundry in the dryer could not drown out her racing mind.

She had felt this way before, but not to this extent – never the feeling of flying. She felt this way once before – the feeling of nervous glee, the want to suddenly fling out her arms and tell everyone. She had kept it a secret then, to everyone, but Mary Margaret. She had told her about Peter, how they had wanted to run away together and start a life all of their own. It had not ended well, because of her. Because of the wolf.

Ruby decided to ignore the fluttering butterflies in her stomach. She wasn't about to sing out the news and ring out the bells.

"Hey, Rubes!"

Unaware of how long she had been standing here, staring off into space, Ruby jerked her head up to see Ashley leaning against the door frame.

"Uhh, yeah," Ruby murmured and then cleared her throat. She stood a little straighter. "Yeah, what's up?"

"You kinda disappeared for ten minutes," Ashley pointed out. "Are you coming back any time soon? I'd like to take my break too – you know, while the diner is slow."

"Oh – yeah, of course," Ruby replied. "I'll, uh, I'll head back now."

"Great," Ashley smiled. "I only have one table – she hasn't ordered anything to eat yet, just an iced tea. She drank it pretty quickly, so she may want another."

"The brunette in the blue dress?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Ashley nodded, stepping into the room. "I haven't seen her around here before, or even in our land. Have you? Do you know who she is?"

Ruby shook her head. "Not a clue – guess home's bigger than what we imagined it. Enjoy your break."

"Thanks."

Ruby made her way back to the bar and glanced into the dining area. Sure enough, there was an empty glass on the table in front of the stranger. Heart fluttering anew, Ruby fetched another glass of iced tea and made her way over to the booth. As she placed the new beverage down, the stranger looked up with a faint smile. Just as Ruby felt she was grounded, this woman brought her back up into the skies with a simple gaze of her bright eyes, shining with the dust of the stars.

"Uh," Ruby found herself unable to speak.

"Thank you," she said softly, reaching for the glass.

There it was again, the sensation of flying, as though she had sprouted wings and had taken flight over their small town and the mountainous forest that surrounded it.

Ruby couldn't find her voice. Instead, she nodded and quickly retreated back to the bar. This wasn't how it felt before, when she admitted to Mary Margaret about her feelings for Peter. She had been smitten, yes, but now for all she could tell, Ruby felt as thought she may never down to earth again.


End file.
